University
of
Michigan
researchers found improvisational
theater classes improve anxiety
symptoms and lessen uncertainty
intolerance in adolescents in a
February study. The new study
focused on students enrolled in
improv classes through the Detroit
Creativity Project, is the third
installment of a series — including
previous
installments
published
in 2019 and 2020 — investigating
the link between improv and
improvements in anxiety symptoms.
February’s study was the last
paper of a three-part dissertation
written
by
Peter
Felsman
for
his Ph.D. at the University. U-M
psychology
professor
Colleen
Seifert, statistician senior Brandy
Sinco and Joseph Himle, professor
of social work and psychiatry, also
contributed to the study.
In
an
interview
with
The
Michigan Daily, Felsman said the
new study’s focus on uncertainty
intolerance — negative beliefs about
uncertainty and negative reactions
to uncertain situations — in the
context of the real world sets it apart
from the other installments of the
dissertation. This study examines
whether uncertainty intolerance
and anxiety levels are correlated in
a real-world improv situation.
“In
the
real
world,
this
intolerance of uncertainty proposed
mechanism seems to hold up,”
Felsman said. “And that is really
cool. So (for) people who don’t show
up to improv with a high degree of
social anxiety, but maybe they’re
feeling depressed — learning to
embrace uncertainty can be helpful
to them.”
The Detroit Creativity Project
works to bring improv classes
directly to the schools of students
in Detroit and neighboring cities.
Seifert told The Daily the project
was a good topic for their study
because of its aim to bring improv
to students who likely hadn’t had
access to improv classes before.
“(Detroit Public Schools) is an
area where it’s really low resource,”
Seifert said. “ … So the brilliance of
the Detroit Project’s plan is it’s right
in the school classroom. … You just
sign up for it if you want it. So it’s
very accessible.”
The researchers asked study
participants
to
take
a
survey
screening for mental health issues
both before and after taking an
improv course. Seifert said though
this approach allowed all students
who wanted to participate in improv
to take the class, this approach
made it more difficult to determine
causation.
“We didn’t want to deny anybody
improv … so what we went to is
called an A/B test,” Seifert said.
“So you test them before they have
the intervention, and you test
them afterwards. And so you can’t
claim that the intervention caused
(decreased anxiety or uncertainty
intolerance)
because
you
don’t
have a control group to see that it
didn’t happen in that control group.
Instead, what you do is infer a
correlation.”
The
survey
consisted
of
11
questions assessing social anxiety,
uncertainty intolerance and social
self-efficacy — one’s confidence
in their ability to navigate social
situations.
The
study
showed
decreases in both social anxiety
and uncertainty intolerance after
participating in the course, as
well as a correlation between the
two.
The
researchers
conclude
from these results that engaging
in
improv
exercises
decreases
uncertainty intolerance, and that a
decrease in uncertainty intolerance
is associated with a subsequent
decrease in social anxiety.
According to Felsman, facing
situations that are unpredictable
— such as those found in improv
— can help people gain a more
positive outlook on the prospect of
uncertainty.
“Engaging repeatedly in the
unknown in this fun and playful
way would teach people that there’s
something nice to be discovered in
the unknown,” Felsman said. “It’s
not always a terrifying thing.”
LSA senior Cassie Bergen is
co-president of Midnight Book
Club, an improv comedy group on
campus. She spoke with The Daily
about how she learned to deal with
unpredictability
by
repeatedly
facing uncertain situations with
people she trusts in the group.
“In practice, you do this over and
over again,” Bergen said. “You go
into this uncertain situation with
support over and over again (and)
you learn that, okay, yeah, I can do
this. Yeah, I can face uncertainty
and be okay.”
Music, Theater & Dance senior
Paul Legallet, the other co-president
of Midnight Book Club, noted in an
interview with The Daily that being
able to live in the moment is not only
essential to doing improv, but also
helpful for improving mental health.
Trigger warning: descriptions of
domestic abuse/gun violence
Dozens of students gathered at
the Michigan League Thursday
evening to hear a panel of elected
officials speak about gun violence
and legislation.
Hosted by the University of
Michigan’s chapter of College
Democrats, the event featured a
panel discussion between U-M
students and Michigan politicians
in response to the mass shooting at
Michigan State University on Feb.
13 which resulted in three deaths
and five injuries.
Former state Rep. Yousef Rabhi
opened the event by speaking
about the difference he noticed
in how the Republican-controlled
state legislature responded to the
shooting at Oxford High School
versus how the legislature has
responded
under
Democratic
control.
“When I was in the legislature,
we were seeing gun legislation that
was completely going the opposite
direction every time there was a
shooting or an incident,” Rabhi
said.
“They
would
propose
legislation to arm teachers … but
we’re only going to solve these
problems if we fundamentally look
at the system. And frankly, it is a
system of profit.”
Rabhi
then
passed
the
microphone to U.S. Rep. Debbie
Dingell,
D-Mich.,
who
has
historically advocated for gun
legislation such as safe storage
bills, universal background checks
and red flag laws. Dingell said she
was discouraged by the lack of
legislative response to repeated
gun violence at the national level.
“I’m
just
discouraged
that
nothing’s ever going to happen at
the federal level,” Dingell said. “I
am done with thoughts and prayers
… thoughts and prayers don’t cut
it, they don’t find solutions and
nothing happens.”
Dingell shared a story about
her personal experience with
domestic violence as a child to
highlight the prevalence of gun
violence beyond mass shootings
and the need for comprehensive
gun control legislation.
Former University President
Mark Schlissel will return to
teach in the Molecular, Cellular
and
Developmental
Biology
department at the University of
Michigan in the fall following his
removal as president in January
2022. Schlissel, who was fired
for engaging in an inappropriate
relationship with a U-M employee,
will be a co-instructor for MCDB
436 – Human Immunology in the
Fall 2023 semester.
In an email to The Michigan
Daily, University spokesperson
Kim
Broekhuizen
wrote
that
Schlissel
maintains
his
tenured
faculty
appointments
as a professor in the College of
Literature, Science and the Arts
as well as the Medical School.
“Mark
Schlissel
retains
a
faculty position, with tenure, that
was granted as part of his initial
U-M employment agreement,”
Broekhuizen wrote. “Schlissel,
a molecular immunologist, has
a 50% appointment in MCDB.
Microbiology and Immunology
in
the
Medical
School
will
be his home department for
administrative purposes.”
In an email obtained by MLive,
Schlissel confirmed his plans to
teach MCDB 436.
“Yes,” Schlissel wrote. “I am
scheduled and plan to teach that
course in the fall.”
Schlissel
has
previously
worked as an instructor and
researcher at the John Hopkins
School of Medicine as well as a
professor in the Department of
Molecular and Cell Biology at the
University of California Berkeley.
In 2011, he launched his career
in university administration at
Brown University as provost
and moved to the University
of
Michigan
to
become
the
president three years later.
Documents obtained by the
Detroit Free Press in January
2022
initially
showed
that
Schlissel
would
retain
his
position as a tenured faculty
member after his removal as
president.
While
wandering
around
downtown Ann Arbor at night it
is hard to miss the bright orange-
and-teal neon glow of the State
Theatre marquee. Right across the
street, the Michigan Theater sign
is just as iconic — a warm array of
incandescent bulbs surrounding a
vertical “MICHIGAN” 10-feet off
the ground. Both of the brightly-lit
theaters and their retro-style signs
have become landmarks for those
who live close by — but how did
two major entertainment venues
end up so close to each other?
Both the Michigan Theater and
State Theatre have historic roots
in Ann Arbor — the Michigan
Theater is the older of the two, at
almost 100 years old it originally
opened in 1928. The State Theatre
opened 14 years later in 1942 as
a single-screen venue, though it
was upgraded to a four-screen
multiplex theater in 1977. In the
late 1970s, the construction of
many large multiplex theaters
caused smaller movie theaters to
close or expand — like the State
did. Meanwhile, the Michigan
Theater
initially
remained
a
single-screen theater and faced
financial difficulties in the late
1970s, which eventually led to the
creation of the Michigan Theater
Foundation in 1979 to preserve and
protect the Michigan Theater. The
foundation has overseen the State
Theater since 2014.
Ellen PutneyMoore, director
of marketing for the Michigan
Theater
Foundation
and
a
University of Michigan alum,
grew up in Ann Arbor and used to
go to the Michigan Theater during
her time in high school and as an
undergraduate at the University.
In an interview with The Michigan
Daily, PutneyMoore explained the
origin of the connection between
the two theaters. She said after
the previous owners of the State
Theatre,
Aloha
Entertainment,
decided to sell the building in
1997, a group of local buyers
decided it would be supervised by
the Michigan Theater Foundation
along with the Michigan Theater.
“At a certain point, Aloha
Entertainment
decided
that
they wanted to get rid of the
State Theatre, so a group of local
investors bought the building in
1997,” PutneyMoore said. “This
investor group is the one that
hired
the
Michigan
Theatre
Foundation as well to operate
the State (Theatre) in 1999 … the
Michigan Theater (Foundation)
was like, ‘Oh, no. We can’t get rid
of this incredible 1942 landmark,’
so they purchased the theater in
2014.”
PutneyMoore said before the
State
Theatre
and
Michigan
Theater were jointly overseen
by the foundation, they were
“friendly
rival”
theaters
that
focused on providing different
types of entertainment.
“The Michigan (Theater) has
always focused a lot more on
live events,” PutneyMoore said.
“Now (it shows) movies as well,
but (it) will do a lot of live events,
concerts, lectures, that sort of
thing. It was more of a friendly
rivalry — the State (Theatre) was
doing a lot of independent films
and first run repertory, much like
they’re still doing now.”
The Michigan Theater and
State Theatre still offer different
types of entertainment today.
The State Theatre often plays
independent and popular films,
while the Michigan Theater plays
any other recently released films
and has the space and venue for
more live performances or large
events, according to PutneyMoore.
“The
State
(Theatre)
was
doing a lot of both independent
films and first run repertory,
much like they’re still doing
now,” PutneyMoore said. “(The
theaters
are
and
historically)
were
distinctive
because
the
Michigan (Theater) had the space
to do live events, whereas the State
(Theater) had always just been a
movie theater.”
PutneyMoore said both theaters
have become more than just an
array of movie screens and plush
seats — they are also important
cultural landmarks.
“(Both theaters) are one of the
crown jewels of the Ann Arbor
community,” PutneyMoore said.
“I think you can see that even
at the University of Michigan.
We’re on all the (University’s)
brochures and when they talk
about the surrounding town, we
are highlighted.”
LSA
sophomore
Maeson
Linnert studies Film, Television
and Media and is a part of various
theatre groups at the University
such as the Residential College
Players and Not Even Really
Drama Students so he places a
high value on local performance
and entertainment spaces. Linnert
said the Michigan Theater and
State Theatre are smaller than
most modern movie theaters, but
give students an opportunity to
think about the history of Ann
Arbor when walking by.
“I believe they serve as a
reminder to Ann Arbor’s rich
history without becoming a plaque
on a wall somewhere,” Linnert
said. “They’re still alive and, as far
as I can tell, doing pretty well.”
LSA
sophomore
Isabelle
Zeaske, vice president of the
RC Players, said a trip to either
theater provides a fun escape
for U-M students and Ann Arbor
community members.
“I appreciate that they’re some
of the most accessible historical
buildings in the campus area,”
Zeaske said. “Plus, they serve a fun
and useful purpose.”
Business
and
LSA
junior
Brooklynne Bates is also studying
FTVM and is co-president of the
student organization Black Film
Society. Bates said the theaters
often
coordinate
programming
with the University for events,
especially
within
the
FTVM
program.
“(Compared to the Michigan
Theater,) I have (more) experience
in the State Theatre, not only
watching movies there, but also
attending
different
events,”
Bates said. “For example, the
Film,
Television
(and)
Media
Department often brings in guest
speakers who will show their
movies (there). So, I’ve gone with
my classmates to see movies from
different directors.”
The University often holds
events, such as the Penny Stamps
Speaker Series, at the Michigan
Theater,
bringing
in
guest
speakers and opportunities for
education throughout the year.
Bates said walking past the
facade of the theaters makes
her feel a sense of hominess and
belonging in the streets of the city.
“I just feel like I’m walking by a
little piece of history (when I pass
by the theaters),” Bates said. “You
just kind of feel like: this is Ann
Arbor.”
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
‘This is Ann Arbor’: tracing the history of the State and Michigan theaters
ANN ARBOR
Michigan lawmakers talk gun
violence, reform at panel
Former UMich President Mark
Schlissel is coming back to teach
From friendly rivals to twin landmarks
U-M students hosted discussion with political
leaders at the League
GOVERNMENT
NEWS
Wednesday, March 29, 2023 — 3
MADISON HAMMOND
Daily Staff Reporter
RACHEL MINTZ
Daily News Editor
JENNA HICKEY/Daily
Design by Abby Schreck
Can improv theatre improve your mental health?
New UMich research says yes (and)
After being removed as president, Schlissel will be
back on campus next fall
ABIGAIL VANDERMOLEN
Daily Staff Reporter
SNEHA DHANDAPANI &
IRENA LI
Daily Staff Reporter & Daily
News Editor
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
Read more at MichiganDaily.com